25 women died in Neamț due to cervical cancer in 2021

Cervical cancer is a disease that can affect women of any age. Cervical cancer is the second most common form of cancer in women between the ages of 15 and 44, after breast cancer, and is generally caused by certain types of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).

Specialist studies have detected the presence of this virus in over 90% of cases of cervical cancer. HPV infection is the most common and widespread viral infection of the genital tract.

Almost every sexually active person is infected at least once in their lifetime. Human Papilloma Virus – HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) is a virus with many strains – specialists have so far discovered over 100 genotypes.

While most cases of HPV do not become cancerous, some strains of the virus are more likely to cause cancer than others. Of these, types 16 and 18 have a particularly high oncogenic potential.

These two strains of HPV are the cause of 70% of all cases of cervical cancer. Romania has the highest standardized incidence and mortality rates for cervical cancer in Europe.

The high mortality can be explained by the fact that, in Romania, the diagnosis is made in late stages of the disease, when the neoplasm is invasive.

In Neamț County, in the first 9 months of 2021 have been reported 44 new cases of cervical cancer, in the records of the oncology offices being 1,174 people with this diagnosis. 25 women died of cervical cancer in 2021. In 2020, 55 new cases of cervical cancer were registered and 20 deaths due to it.

Cervical cancer is the most preventable form of cancer:

– by periodic testing – the Babes-Pap test can highlight any changes that occur in the cervix area, thus preventing a pathological evolution.
– by immunization – vaccination is done for prophylactic purposes, ie it is used to prevent infection.

The vaccine does not cure cervical cancer, it cannot cure a Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection that has already occurred.

The vaccine can be given at any age, regardless of whether or not the sexual life has begun.

It is best for females to be vaccinated against cervical cancer from the age of 11-12, so that they can be protected before starting their sexual life.

It is recommended that the vaccine be given until the age of 26 because it has been shown that the body’s immune response to the vaccine is increased by the age of 15 and people between the ages of 15 and 26 are most exposed to HPV through sexual activity.

Women who have started sexual activity can get the vaccine, but the coverage is not so great and the protection offered decreases, depending on the strains that may already be present in the body (the vaccine has no action there).

Vaccination against HPV infection is safe and effective. Vaccination is not a substitute for routine, cervical medical examination.

In Romania, vaccination against HPV infections is included in the National Vaccination Program, for girls aged 11 to 18 years.

This year, the Ministry of Health has expanded the age group for free HPV vaccination to include girls between the ages of 14 and 18, as recommended by the Epidemiology and Oncology Commission of the Ministry of Health, as well as specialists from the Ministry of Health. within the National Institute of Public Health.

Vaccination is performed at the request of parents or legal representatives who may make a request to the family doctor.

Girls and women over the age of 15 who have not previously received the HPV vaccine can also be vaccinated. Ideally, the vaccine should be given before sexual intercourse or infection with the virus, as the effects of the vaccine decrease as the number of sexual partners increases.

It is up to the doctor to decide on the need for the vaccine and how it is given.

In Romania, vaccination against HPV infections under the National Vaccination Program is done with Gardasil 9 vaccine, as follows:

• For people aged 11-14 inclusive, the vaccination schedule includes 2 doses. The second dose should be given 5 to 13 months after the first dose.
• For people 15 years of age and older, Gardasil 9 should be given according to a 3-dose schedule. The second dose should be given at least one month after the first dose and the third dose should be given at least 3 months after the second dose. All 3 doses should be given within 1 year.

In 2021, 430 doses of HPV vaccine were distributed to the Neamț Public Health Directorate. In 2021, 279 doses were administered, and 132 girls were vaccinated, of which 38 were between 15 and 18 years old.

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